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Mass Media Portrayals and Education
Toran Tillotson James Bond Wikia Introduction: The purpose of this rhetorical analysis wiki is to give incoming college students tips that will allow them to be successful in their writings. This wiki compares the embellished media portrayal of MI6 British secret service agent James Bond and a scholarly article “What Is It Like To Be An Agent Of The U.S. Secret Service?” that reveals the real truth about being an agent. The comparison will teach future college students the importance of knowing your audience to determine the approach one should take when writing. Summary source 1: Skyfall, an Eon Production, is the twenty-third James Bond film directed by Sam Mendes; produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. The story centers around Bond, an MI6 agent played by Daniel Craig, who investigates an attack on the MI6 headquarters. The attack was orchestrated by former MI6 agent Raoul Silva, played by Javier Bardem, to defame, and kill M, the head of MI6 intelligence, played by Judi Dench. Analysis 1: Throughout this movie the director appealed to many different audiences. He appeals to the men, women, and general James Bond fanatics. To do this, he embellishes James Bonds character to fit the audience’s wants. Women: This movie is just as much for women as it is for the men and James Bond fanatics. It is easy to see Mendes new this fact and used it to his advantage. James Bonds prevalent audience of women look for a good looking, fit, well dressed man that is not afraid to take his shirt off. They look for a Bond that is smooth/sensual with the ladies, and allows himself to become vulnerable. Women want to see that man in their lives. They want to feel the passion Bond portrays and be that woman standing next to him on the big screen. Mendes made sure to capture all these aspect in Skyfall. Ex: Moneypenny, James’ partner throughout the movie, walks into his room to find him shirtless wrapped in a towel fresh out of the shower. The scene continues to Moneypenny shaving games face “closely” with a straight razor. Mendes appeals to the women here by allowing them to feel the connection between bond and Moneypenny by putting themselves in her shoes. Men: On the men’s side of things, Mendes left no stone unturned. The men’s audience looks for a Bond that is suave and always in a nice suit, one that is a womanizer, and one that is never without a drink and gun. On top of that, the men viewers look for an unstoppable Bond. They look for a Bond that isn’t afraid to get his suit dirty while pistol toting and fist fighting. They also look for a piece of themselves in Bond. The want to feel the love and affection he gets from women and the manliness he portrays. Mendes gave this to them. Ex: The first two scenes of Skyfall really appeal to the men. The first scene of the movie Bond, in his nice suit, is chasing a suspect through Istanbul. The chase begins in cars as they rush through Istanbul. The cars end up crashing and a gun fight begins. The suspect and Bond then ensue in a motorcycle chase on the roof tops of Istanbul. The suspect leaves his bike and jumps onto a train from an overpass, Bond is soon to follow. A vicious shootout and fist fight occur in which James is shot once in the shoulder then shot off the train into a river on accident be his partner Moneypenny. Here, Mendes appeals to the men’s need for great action. The next scene begins with Bond in a beach hut making love to a beautiful woman. Next he walks down the beach to a bar and has many drinks before the night is over. Here Mendes allows men to put themselves in bonds shoes. They get to feel the one night stand with a beautiful woman, then heading down the beach for a drink at the bar. James bond Fanatics: Before anyone else, the James Bond fanatics get what they want. These are the people who sleep in tents outside the movie theatre 3 days before the premier and know every little detail about James Bond. These fanatics are look for a Bond who: • Has moral and emotion dilemmas • Things don’t come easy for • Always knows what to do • Is witty • Knows where his home is • Losses a battle but wins a war • Carries a Walther ppk pistol • Drinks a vodka martini shaken not stirred. • Has a sense of humor in bad situations MOST IMPORTANTLY: These Bond viewers look for the 100% fully operational package of espionage. They want to feel as if they were bond going through his treacherous mission. Ex: After being shot off the train by Moneypenny, James is pronounced dead although not being found. Bond, still alive, has the choice to be erased from the MI6 agency and live his own life or he can return to MI6 to begin work again. Now living the beach, life Bond enters a dilemma when the MI6 is attacked. He can either continue his life or return to help MI6. Bond returns to help MI6.Mendes uses a moral dilemma that ends with the choice every James Bond fanatic wants to see and feel. One where they ask what I would do. Summary source 2: “What Is It Like To Be An Agent Of The U.S. Secret Service?” is an article about the reality of being an agent. It talks about the misconception of agents (all agents work for the president), the missions (protective and investigative), pay and work schedules, and training. Analysis 2: The author of this article is writing to an audience that is looking for facts about secret agents; an audience the wants to know the truth behind secret agents. To do this he is very cut and dry. There is no embellishment to this article because it is to and audience looking for just facts, not to be entertained. Ex: “Special agents are normally assigned to work a 40-hour (normal business) workweek (e.g., 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.), Monday through Friday.” “Special agents are required to work hours other than normal business hours (e.g., 12 a.m.-8 a.m., 4 p.m.-12 a.m., 10 a.m.-6 p.m., 6 a.m.-2 p.m., 2 p.m.-10 p.m., etc.) with the addition to 2 or more LEAP hours, on a daily basis.” These straight forward examples are how the author is reaching his audience. Comparison: The media portrayal of Bond as an agent is embellished tremendously. He is embellished for the audience’s entertainment. Mendes made sure to hit everyone in the audience. This is the opposite of who an actual agent is. The second source reveals the truth about agents to an audience looking for facts. This article is cut, dry, and simple. Ex: In Skyfall, Bond has a lot of time on his hands. He has time for leisure and to do whatever he wants. Source two showed us this is not the case for an actual agent. An actual agent works a 40+ hours a week, 40 being the minimum. Advice to incoming students: In academia, you need to know your audience and the point of your writing so you can determine the style of writing you need to do. There are different audiences and you can reach them in different ways. Put yourself in your audience’s shoes, look deeper than what they want to see, and make them feel what they want to feel. When you can make an audience see, you have their attention. When you make an audience feel, you have their hearts. Using this tip will allow you to become a successful writer. Conclusion: This wiki is meant to give tips to incoming college students that will be writing in the near future. By comparing the mass media portrayal of James Bond and an actual agent you can see the producer and author knew their audiences and played to their wants and needs. For more tips and tricks be sure to check out http://writelikethis.wikia.com/wiki/Don%27t_Panic,_Just_Write_Like_This_Wiki